East Africa: EAC Defence Harmonisation Making Headway

The bloc’s armies are making significant headway in ongoing efforts to harmonise their common defence strategy, a senior Kenyan military officer said in Kigali yesterday.

Col. Alex Angogo, the senior instructor at the Defence Staff College (DSC) of Kenya, noted this shortly after his colleagues – commandants of command and staff colleges in the East African Community (EAC) started a « strategic level » meeting in Kigali.

« The progress has been very good in the sense that we can be able to meet and discuss issues of common interest and come up with a plan or strategy on how to deal with it. So, with the common training and thinking, it becomes easier to come up with solutions to our problems in the shortest time possible, » Angogo said.

The EAC armed forces command and staff colleges meeting is an annual session in which the officers examine ways of boosting regional security.

The current one is the third of its kind, after the EAC recommended in 2010 that the commandants from partner states meet at least once a year, « to be able to deliberate on the weak and strong areas. »

The officers will also travel to Nyakinama, in Musanze District, home of Senior Command and Staff College.